The FDA Announces A New Definition Of Whats ‘healthy

A nutrition label on the side of a cereal box in January 2014. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced new rules for Nutrition Facts labels that can appear on the front of food packages to suggest they are "healthy."

Under the proposal, manufacturers can label their products "healthy" if they contain at least the highest amounts of food groups or ingredients recommended by dietary guidelines (such as fruit, vegetables or dairy). They must also meet certain limits for certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. For example, to use the term "healthy," a serving of cereal must contain three-quarters of an ounce of whole grains and one gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, and 2.5 grams of added sugar. "." In the account.

Labeling is about helping consumers easily navigate nutrition labels and make better choices at the grocery store. The proposed rule aligns the definition of "healthy" claims with current nutrition science, the updated Nutrition Facts label and the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the FDA said.

The agency is developing a symbol that companies can use voluntarily to label foods that meet federal guidelines for the term "healthy."

The announcement comes ahead of a White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health on Wednesday. By President Richard M. The conference, held by the Nixon administration, was the first of its kind since 1969, when food stamps, school lunches, and other programs were instrumental in reducing hunger at the grassroots level. Critical network security information during outbreaks.

When complete, the FDA's new system will "communicate nutrition information quickly and easily to promote equitable access to nutrition information and healthy choices, like star rating or traffic light systems," House said. Blanca in a statement this week. The system can also "encourage the industry to improve its products to make them healthier" by adding more vegetables or legumes or developing new products, according to the definition.

During the epidemic, obesity increased among children aged 5 to 11 years

The stakes are high.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six out of 10 American adults suffer from lifestyle-related chronic diseases, most commonly obesity and poor diet. The CDC says these diseases are the leading causes of death and disability and the leading cause of the nation's $4.1 trillion in annual health care costs.

And the obesity epidemic is going in the wrong direction: studies show that obesity, especially among children, has increased significantly during the epidemic, with the biggest change among children aged 5 to 11 years, who gained an average of more than five kilograms. Before the outbreak, approximately 36% of children ages 5 to 11 were overweight or obese. During the epidemic, this number rose to 45.7 percent.

In some Latin American countries, governments have enacted stricter food labeling laws, banning sugary drinks and highly processed foods, in an effort to combat the obesity epidemic that has gripped the United States. For example, in Chili's, foods high in sugar, saturated fat, calories, and added sodium must display black stop signs on the front of the package. Anything with a black stop sign may be sold or promoted in schools or included in television commercials aimed at children.

The fight against obesity in Latin America can be a model for the United States

Groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest have long called for the FDA to mandate mandatory, standardized, evidence-based labeling on the front of the package. They say a nutrition label on the front of the package reaches more consumers than the "nutrition content" on the back of the package, prompts them to make healthier food choices and encourages companies to reformulate their products in a healthier way. Nutritionists say Americans typically consume too much sodium, added sugar and saturated fat in packaged foods, so being able to quickly identify foods that contain these nutrients would be of great public health importance.

The Biden administration has backed the FDA's efforts to reduce sodium intake, following the agency's announcement last year that food companies and restaurants would cut sodium in their meals by 12 percent over the next two and a half years. In a parallel effort, the administration suggests that the FDA reduce sugar consumption in the United States by "incorporating voluntary targets" for sugar content from food manufacturers.

The new label language will be controversial among food manufacturers who have tried to capitalize on America's desire for healthy foods.

Roberta Wagner, spokeswoman for the industry organization Consumer Brands Association, said the FDA's definition of "healthy" can be successful if it is clear and consistent to manufacturers and understood by consumers.

But what constitutes a "healthy" diet is a hot topic among nutritionists. Are foods that many nutrition scientists call "good fats," such as nuts or avocados, considered "healthy," and artificially sweetened fruit snacks or sugary yogurt considered "healthy"?

The idea is not final and may face some resistance from food manufacturers who have tried to capitalize on consumers' growing interest in healthy eating in recent years.

"Frankly, the FDA's proposed rule needs significant review and revision to ensure it does not place food policy ahead of science and reality," said Sean McBride, founder of DSM Strategic Communications and former director of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. . "The details are critical because the final rule is more than a simple definition, creating a concrete regulatory framework for nutrient profiles that will determine how food is produced for decades to come."

Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the front-of-package label offers great promise, but it needs to be compelling, simple, nutrient-dense and calorie-dense. Such labeling could change consumer buying behavior and force companies to adjust products to achieve more favorable ratings, he said. Unless the definition of healthy and the label is very specific, some companies try to cheat the system by "washing it as health" to make their products look healthy, he said.

How the Trump administration limited the scope of the 2020 USDA dietary guidelines

In the year In 2016, the FDA began a public process to update nutrient content claims on food labels. But critics of dietary guidelines often do not focus on the right things. Under the Trump administration, for example, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Committee was prevented from considering the health risks of eating red meat, highly processed foods and sodium.

The federal dietary guidelines have seen a significant pendulum swing. For many years, advice has been based on a familiar but incorrect assumption: eating fat makes you fat. Consuming large amounts of cholesterol gives us high cholesterol.

First defined by the FDA in 1994, "healthy" originally focused on fat content. In the year In 2015, the agency sent a warning letter to lunch maker Kind regarding the company's "healthy" label. Ask? Bars, especially nuts, were very high in saturated fat. Nutritionists and the like have submitted a formal request to the FDA to "update regulations regarding the term health" to reflect current science.

In the year In 2016, the FDA changed its position to use the term "healthy" and announced that the agency would reexamine the definition of the term.

New FDA guidelines allow whole fruits and vegetables to automatically carry a "health" claim and require prepared foods to meet nutritional requirements and limits on percentages of added sugar, sodium and saturated fat.

"Seven years after our public petition, Kindness welcomes the FDA's updated regulatory definition of 'healthy'," Kindness CEO Russell Stokes said Wednesday. "A law that reflects current nutrition science and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a win for public health and a win for all of us."

The latest dietary guidelines focus on a plant-based diet, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They're tough on limiting salt and saturated fat, but they say cholesterol is "not a concern," dropping the long-standing limit of 300 milligrams a day.

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